Portable battery-powered radio communication devices are advantageous in many environments, but particularly in public safety environments such as fire rescue, first responder, and mission critical environments. When operating in such environments, the device may be exposed to gases, fumes, and dust that have the potential for creating an explosive atmosphere. Portable communication devices intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres should be designed to meet the safety standards of Directive 94/9/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, commonly referred to as ATEX, which is derived from the French words ATmospheres EXplosibles. A portable communication device that meets the ATEX standards may be referred to as having an “intrinsically safe” rating. A portable communication device that has an intrinsically-safe rating is less likely to ignite an explosive atmosphere while operating within such an environment.
There is a desire to incorporate advanced processing and broadband communication circuitry into portable battery-operated communication devices to provide converged functionality. For example, there is a desire to provide converged land mobile radio (LMR) and long term evolution (LTE) platforms into a portable battery operated communication device. However, designing a device for converged platforms presents challenges with increased capacitance and higher voltage supplies which may exceed intrinsic safety limits. It is also important to be mindful of space and weight constraints.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved portable communication device for intrinsically safe operation.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.